


The way Percy Weasley loves

by EmmxObrixn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, Divorce, F/M, Family, Forgiveness, Heartbreak, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:01:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29260134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmxObrixn/pseuds/EmmxObrixn
Summary: Audrey Weasley could read her husband like an open book. Every single one of his feelings, she could read. Even those she didn’t want to learn about.
Relationships: Angelina Johnson/George Weasley, Audrey Weasley/Percy Weasley, George Weasley & Percy Weasley, Lucy Weasley & Molly Weasley II, Lucy Weasley & Percy Weasley, Molly Weasley II & Percy Weasley, Percy Weasley & Oliver Wood, Percy Weasley & Weasley Family, Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood
Comments: 6
Kudos: 47





	The way Percy Weasley loves

Percy Weasley has always been a very serious and stern men.   
Used to keep his emotions bottled up, following his duty, and make sure everyone knows they can relie on him. He never let any of his colleagues down. It was what she noticed first when she had met him.   
Everyone could feel the tension of the war, the ministry wasn’t what she had imagined and she was terrified. Everyone seemed to be.   
Except for Percy.   
He just kept on working, and on doing it right. Helping everyone and not once complaining. Obeying.   
Letting his superiors rely on him for any tasks.   
From the stupidest ones to the hardest ones.   
Percy Weasley could almost seem heartless. She knew he wasn’t.   
Or else he wouldn’t have taken the burning coffee pot from her trembling hands to pour her coffee. He wouldn’t have taken the work assignment given to one of their colleague whose father had been caught by snatchers, and do it as perfectly as possible, claiming it was his speciality and he should be given the task even though it wasn’t true.   
It was what had drawn her in. Calm in the storm. Practical and clever.   
After the war she had heard of what happened. She had sent him flowers and a card, saying how sorry she was for his loss and how she hoped their paths would cross again now that he had resigned from the ministry.  
She had been so happy when their paths had cross again.   
Two years after the war she became Audrey Weasley.   
She was happy.   
Never bored of his long rants about anything and everything. And he loved that she listened and add her imput then and there.   
They worked. Both dedicated and serious. They shared the same interest and understood each other.   
In fact Audrey understood Percy so much, that it only took her seconds to realize her mistake.   
When he was with his family Percy was loving, but he could never love freely. He was always crushed by the guilt he felt, as well as the grief.   
When he looked at her, he was amused and interested, intrigued, but always with seriousness, always with a little caution.  
She thought it was his way. That whether it was with her or his family he will always be too scared to give himself fully to someone.   
Oh how wrong she had been.   
He wasn’t even smiling, except for a shy smile shaking with nervousness.   
No.   
It was his eyes.   
Those beautiful blue eyes she had spent years starring at. Who now shone brighter than they ever had. Who held so much love she didn’t know how he could bear it. So much love she almost turned away. But this gaze wasn’t given to her. It was to their daughter. Molly.   
She ignored the feeling she felt and decided to rest. Giving birth was exhausted and her mind was probably too clouded by the emotion.   
But as the days passed. She noticed it more and more. The difference in how he looked at his daughter. The absolute joy and pride. He loved her. Unconditionally and fully.   
In a way he never could love her.  
She wasn’t jealous.   
She too was mad with love for her child. But she realized he had never truly loved Audrey. And it pained her a little. Not enough to tell though.  
Then Lucy was born, and he looked at her the same way he looked at their eldest daughter. Like she was the most precious treasure on earth.   
Audrey found it endearing.   
I would rather he truly loves our daughter than I, she would say to herself.   
If she had to have the only man she ever loved only like her, and never love her. She wanted him to at least love their children. And he did.   
Still with his serious and intelligence. Even if he was often strict with them.   
He loved them.  
And it was alright.   
It was perfect.  
Until it wasn’t. 

They were having tea with George and Angelina Weasley, as they were once again expecting. Everything was fine, until George mentioned someone.   
A name she had seen written many times in the Daily Prophet but had never paid attention to, as it wasn’t relevant to her.   
Oliver Wood.   
This name however was important for her husband. Even if he didn’t say anything, his eyes did. And she could read them like a book. The name brought pain, nervousness, and nostalgia.   
Like a broken heart.   
She didn’t say anything but rather explained she didn’t know Angelina had played with him.   
“We all did, at Hogwarts. He was our team Captain.”  
“He and Percy were roommates and best friends. Right Perce?” Asked George, trying to convey as much joy as he could in his voice. He was always miserable when mentioning the past.   
Percy didn’t answer but rather gave a quick nod and drank his tea in silent. They moved on to another subject.  
Weeks later she dared to ask.   
Why has he never mentioned Oliver?  
“I didn’t think it was worth mentioning.”   
“Percy he was your best friend. It’s important. I talk to you about my old friends all the time. Besides you told me you didn’t have any friends at Hogwarts. Why did you lie?”  
He stiffened and avoided her gaze. “It’s not that important.”   
They were interrupted by Lucy’s crying. Percy quickly left to see his daughter.  
Something wasn’t right. 

Next time she asked Angelina.   
George and Percy has grown close after the war so it wasn’t unusual for the two women to hang out. Their husbands were currently playing with their children, in the garden.   
“You know I am not sure it is my place to say anything. Besides I am not very sure. You should ask Percy.” She seemed a little uncomfortable.   
“He avoided the questions.”   
Angelina set down her mug. Her mouth was closed in a thin line. Which indicated that Audrey had been right.   
There was something she didn’t know.  
“I was never close with Percy.” Angelina explained. “But Oliver was my Captain and my friend. It is a bit weird for most people that he would be friends with someone two years younger. But he and Percy were the only Gryffindor boys of their year and Oliver didn’t do much besides Quidditch practice and classes. So he either spent his time with us or Percy. I think something happened between them. Some moment they were close. The best of friends. Which seemed weird, considering how unlike the two were. And they were other times were they would ignore each other like the plague. Those moments were the worse. Oliver wanted to stay out of the Gryffindor tower as much as possible so he filled all of our free time with practice. Then they graduated and that’s it I suppose. I know Oliver was with Percy right after the battle. When we were all...” she swallowed with difficulty, her eyes bright. She meant after Fred’s death. “... in the Great Hall. But I don’t think they kept contact afterward. George and I did. But we never really asked about them. I don’t think it’s that important. So why is it to you?”  
Audrey didn’t answer. She didn’t want her sister in law to have false ideas about Percy. 

When Ginny and Harry had their second child. They all met at their house to meet the newborn. And to Percy and Audrey’s surprise, Oliver Wood was there as well. It really shouldn’t have been that surprising, after all Ginny and Oliver both were Quidditch players and Oliver had been Harry’s team Captain at Hogwarts.   
She could tell Percy felt really uncomfortable. Longing for his return home to his daughters.

Oliver was bright and cheerful and the polar opposite of her husband.   
He smiled and joked with everyone. Exchanging quidditch anecdotes with everyone interested enough to listen.   
Perhaps he wasn’t so different from Percy after all.   
Oliver then approached them. And both men looked at each other with hurt in their eyes.   
And when he looked at Audrey, Oliver seemed almost angry, although she had never met him. Still he smiled and exchanged politeness with both of them. He then asked about their daughters and Percy’s whole face lit up.   
He was beautiful, Audrey thought to herself.   
She was looking at him with her usual adoration. But she quickly noticed she wasn’t the only one. Oliver too was looking at Percy with fondness.  
The two men eyes met and they both looked away, hurt, embarrassed and shy.

It started to make sense.

She asked again that night.   
And when he brushed it off once again. She told him that she loved him. That even if they had never wed, she would have loved him, even if one day he decided he didn’t want this anymore she would love him. That he was her everything, and that all she wanted was his happiness. No matter what it meant. He looked at her puzzled.  
“And I love you too Audrey!” He was getting annoyed.  
“I know that. But you aren’t in love with me. You never were.”  
She had hurt him. “Percy I could never hate you. But I need you to tell me the truth.”   
For the first time, she saw her husband cry. This man who had kept a straight face during the war, who had never let anyone save his family, see him cry. Was breaking and falling apart. She went over to hug him. “It’s okay dear.” She murmured to him.   
They fell asleep this way. With Percy sobbing into Audrey’s arms. 

The next morning was tough.   
She had woken up first, which was very unusual.   
Percy joined her later, his eyes red and puffy. He sat next to her.  
“Audrey I am so sorry. I thought. I thought I was just being stupid and young and I just needed to be this perfect son for my parents. I needed them to rely on me. I needed to save my family’s reputation so they could be alright. So Ron and the twins could have their own things instead of our old ones. So my mom would stop worrying so much. I just wanted to be a good son. Like my brothers had been before me. And... it just didn’t fit. It couldn’t. Then there was the war. And I met you. You’ve saved me Audrey. You gave me everything I have ever desired. You were perfect to me. And I love you. I truly do. But it’s just not the same...”  
“Not like with Oliver.”  
“It’s not just Oliver, it’s... it’s not about Oliver.”  
Audrey could feel her own heart breaking. It wasn’t that he could never move on from his friend. It was that he could never truly love her. Not how she wanted him to.  
She squeezed his hand.   
“It’s okay my love.”   
“It’s not! I.. I shouldn’t feel this way. I should be able to be normal.”  
“Percy...”  
“I’m so sorry.”  
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”  
“What are we going to do?”   
Her breath caught in her throat.   
What were they going to do?   
Deep down she knew it. But the thought of setting the love of her life free, was truly heartbreaking.  
She took a deep breath.  
“I don’t think we can stay together.” Percy broke into tears again. “If it was up to me, we would, but Percy, you deserve to be happy and free for once.”  
“Our girls...”  
“We’ll make sure they see both of us equally. They would be lost without their dad anyway.” This was true she knew. Sometimes she felt they loved Percy more than they loved her. She couldn’t really blame them. He was extraordinary.  
“They’ll be ashamed.”  
“They won’t. They love you.”  
“I’ll be a disgrace to them.” His voice broke. “And my family.”  
She squeezed his hand even harder.   
“Percy Weasley, you listen to me now.” He looked up, meeting her eyes. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did nothing wrong. Your daughters will love you no matter what, they won’t even see a difference. And your family won’t either. You’re all far too precious for one another, to afford losing someone over something so innocent.”  
He nodded at once.   
Pulling himself together in record speed when Molly entered the room, lifting her little arms up so her dad would carry her. His face changed like a charm. Suddenly he radiated love. He held her close to his chest.  
Later that day she asked more questions. About Oliver.  
The two had been in love. But Percy had been terrified. And had ran away with his girlfriend at the time. And anytime Oliver had tried for them to work Percy had freaked out. They exchanged letters after their graduation but stopped when the war started. When they had reunited after the battle. Percy had held onto Oliver. And Oliver had wiped his tears and stayed by his side until Audrey’s letter. Then he couldn’t take it anymore. And when Percy didn’t asked for him to stay, he simply left. 

Audrey felt sad. She had never known.   
She also had trouble understanding how her husband could bottle up all of his feelings and never let them out. Ever since he was a child. Always trying to do the right thing and never let anyone worry about him.

It took him months. But eventually he agreed, he and Audrey had to split. And with lots of tears and hugs they signed the papers.   
They decided to keep it quiet at first.   
And after a lot of convincing. Percy visited Oliver. Apologizing and explaining what had happen. The two men started exchanging letters.   
Then they had to announce their divorce. Percy decided not to dwell on the details but only say, he fell out of love. Even if he had never truly loved her in the first place. 

They remained friends. Had tea together. Nothing truly changed. Except at night, Audrey felt cold on her own in the too big bed.

Lucy was five and Molly seven the first time they asked. “Mommy? Why is daddy’s friend Oliver always at his house?” She hadn’t known how to respond. Percy had panicked. It had taken her hours to reason him.   
And so he had told his daughters. The four of them had sat in Audrey’s living room and Percy had explained as best as he could.   
She knew her girls would react well. They had been raised properly and with love. So much that they gave back lots of it.   
Percy had been very overwhelmed. Oliver had been very skeptical at first but then very relieved when Percy had told him. He then reintroduced Oliver as their stepdad.   
Then one day Molly had let it slip during one of the Weasley family dinner. Percy had held up his head high, and explained the truth. Ginny had crushed him with a hug soon joined by the rest of her siblings as well as their parents.

Now they were standing all five of them. At platform 9 3/4, Percy fussing and giving last minute recommendations to Molly. Lucy crying in her mother’s arms and Oliver looking at his boyfriend fondly. Molly had hugged them all. And left with bright eyes and a huge smile.   
“She’ll be alright.” Oliver had said. His hand resting on Percy’s shoulder. 

Oliver quickly became part of their family. He had now retired from Quidditch and lived full time with Percy. He was still working it the middle of sports but wasn’t playing anymore.   
Molly adored him and had became her team’s new keeper. Constantly asking Oliver for advices and for him to help her practice. He was always happy to oblige.   
Lucy was more shy. Like with everyone else. But she didn’t mind sharing her quiet space with Oliver, the same way she du with her sister or parents.

Audrey should have been sad, but truth was she was happy.   
She still loved Percy, perhaps she always will. But he didn’t love her and that was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I am sorry if there is any mistakes, it was late and I was too lazy to correct them. Besides I am not English. So I am very sorry! Hope it wasn’t too painful to read with all the errors. :)


End file.
